Abstract: Spaced apart packs of closely spaced steel or other metallic rods, tubes or other elongate articles are annealed or otherwise heat treated by advancing them step by step by a walking beam mechanism through a chamber having a series of independently temperature controlled zones along the path of travel, the articles being disposed horizontally and transversely of the path of travel. The atmosphere within each zone is recirculated therein independently of the recirculation of atmosphere within adjacent zones and without substantial mixing of the atmosphere within adjacent zones.

Abstract: A gas fired melting apparatus for particulate material. The melting apparatus has four successively connected vertically disposed sidewall members, a floor member and a roof member. These members define a cubic melting chamber for containing a freestanding generally conical pile of particulate material to be melted. The sizes, shapes and positions of the chamber radiating surfaces as well as their relative distances from the pile surfaces promote heat transfer to the pile. A high temperature gas fired burner is mounted in each sidewall adjacent to the corner formed by the tail end of one sidewall and the head end of a successive sidewall member. The axis of each burner is parallel with its successive wall member so the combined effect of the burners is to produce a toroidal flow of combustion products in the melting chamber around its central vertical axis.

Abstract: A combustion controller (C) controls the relative rates at which a combustion component source (B) supplies fuel, air, and oxygen to nozzles (A). A fuel source (30) supplies fuel to the burners at a rate (50 in FIG. 2) which is appropriate to produce a desired amount of heat. A blower (32) supplies air at a fixed rate (52b) and an oxygen source supplies oxygen gas at a rate (54) in proportion to the fuel supply rate such that stoichiometrically balanced combustion is maintained. To decrease the combustion rate, the air supply rate remains constant (52b) as the fuel and oxygen rich gas supply rates are decreased. After the oxygen rich gas supply rate reaches zero, the combustion rate is further reduced by decreasing the fuel supply rate and the air supply rate (52a) in stoichiometric proportion. In this manner, a relatively high nozzle velocity is maintained over a wide range of combustion rates.

Abstract: A burner within which there is a jet pump means. High pressure primary combustion air is fed to an inlet in the burner housing and then through the jet pump means. The high pressure air flowing through the jet pump means draws a secondary low pressure, high temperature air into the burner. The jet pump means entrains the secondary air within the primary air to form a combustion air mixture. A fuel means feeds fuel to the burner housing and the combustion air and fuel combine to form a suitable mixture for ignition. A swirler can be located within the means to feed the primary air to the inlet or within the burner itself. By swirling the primary air the flame pattern of the burner can be controlled. The burner of the present invention is particularly adaptable for soaking pits having a tile recuperator and the metallic recuperator disposed within a flue gas passageway.

Abstract: A radiant burndown tube for furnaces which have a chamber sealable from the ambient atmosphere and in which there is a combustible gas. The burndown tube is divided into three functional areas; the burner leg, the exhaust leg and a tube portion. The tube portion is located within the furnace chamber. There is an inlet where the combustible gas from the furnace chamber is drawn into the burndown tube. The combustible gas is mixed with air and ignited in the tube and the combustion products are exhausted via the exhaust leg. Thus, the heat energy normally lost in the burndown of combustible furnace exhaust gases outside of the furnace is captured and used to provide additional heat to the furnace.

Abstract: A heat treating furnace is provided with high momentum burners for uniformly heating each work item therein primarily by convective heating. A plurality of work items are spaced in a row on a furnace base and enclosed by an outer cover sealed to the base to define an enclosure therein. High momentum burners are orientated in a predetermined manner in the outer cover to fire jet streams of hot gases into the enclosure. The jet streams rapidly entrain the furnace gases to promote a gas stream of uniform temperature which swirls rapidly about each work item effecting uniform heating of each work item primarily by convection. The furnace is further provided with an efficient internal recuperator arrangement which also functions as the flue for the furnace.

Abstract: A cooling arrangement is provided for cooling a moving stream, of heated workpieces without thermal deformation. The arrangement includes a plurality of nozzles circumscribing the work which direct a spray mist of atomized water particles toward the work. The spray mist vaporizes at or near the surface of the work to produce a water vapor. By orientating the nozzle spray mist pattern in a predetermined manner and providing a plurality of axially spaced mist arrays, the water mist developed completely envelops the workpiece in a controlled manner to produce a uniform rate of cooling of the pieces.

Abstract: A cooling arrangement is provided for cooling a moving stream of heated workpieces without thermal deformation. The arrangement includes a plurality of nozzles circumscribing the work which direct a spray mist of atomized water particles toward the work. The spray mist vaporizes at or near the surface of the work to produce a water vapor. By orientating the nozzle spray mist pattern in a predetermined manner and providing a plurality of axially spaced mist arrays, the water mist developed completely envelops the workpiece in a controlled manner to produce a uniform rate of cooling of the pieces.